sanctumenglish.

in

Sanctum Study Notes

7th July
Cloze Test –

1. Buy online course on unacademy for 3 months to prepare

for your mains exams. Use code VGHUMANSAR for a
discount.

2. Buy CGL/CPO test series in just 199/ - 15 Tests, With

complete solutions

3. call 9783238686 for more information

The world is out there in Stanfords at three levels. Europe at the top and India
_______(1)_______ together with Australia at the bottom. The maps are everywhere, so are
the travel books and guides, to Timbuktu if you please. Globes are there too, and a whole
lot of things that one would ‘thoughtfully’ pick up, walking out of the store with a
______(2)_______ wallet but ready to adventure — magnifying glasses, waterproof pouches,
and yes, RFID-tagged wallets, the last just in case an alligator in the Amazon picks your
pocket and makes off with it. Walking into Stanford makes the arthritic and vision-
impaired feel like intrepid explorers, eager to traverse the world’s wilder parts, map in one
hand and a well-thumbed guide in the other. There is a map I am searching for, a large
detailed one of India. I zero _______(3)_________ on two, one, by Marco Polo, that promises
exotic adventure, and another published in Germany, which looks more serious and
capable of holding its own in the _______(4)________ without tearing, even promising to take
a hot spill in its stride. Unable to make up my mind, I leave, but not before making an
abortive bid to use the toilet, for one has to buy something at the coffee shop to get the
code _____(5)______ its vault of a door.

1. (a) jumped (b) lumped

(c) stumped (d) termed
2. (a) lighter (b) bigger
(c) new (d) old
3. (a) in (b) for
(c) at (d) with
4. (a) tent (b) rain
(c) room (d) hot
5. (a) open (b) opening
(c) to open (d) close

YouTube Telegram Website Facebook

 sanctumenglish.in

Parajumble –

A. Currently as I pursue my studies in Hamburg, Germany, I seek answers to my

questions and the elixir of upliftment by going and sitting by Lake Außenmühlenteich.

B. I have been fortunate to have found and acquainted myself with a few of these
supernatural healing havens that have added so much bliss to my life.

C. and just the thought of the place pulls a veil of colour and happiness, however
ephemeral, over our troubles.

D. Each of us has a place we turn to or remember in our hour of despair

E. Though short-lived, these magical places have the ability to cast a spell that guides us
through vicissitudes.

Advance Fillers

Grammar Exercise – All topics

91. I fell and hurt ______ .

A) himself B) myself
C) me D) ourselves

92. You didn’t damage car, ______ ?

A) I hope B) didn’t it
C) you accident D) did you

93. ______ of the students did well on their test.

A) Each B) Either
C) Neither D) Most

94. Before I woke up, the burglars ______ most of my possessions.

A) have taken B) had taken
C) were taking D) will take

95. Thomas ______ his vacation for several months.

A) planning B) had been planning
C) is planning D) been planning for

96. The dog ______ bit me wasn’t mad, fortunately.

A) that B) who
C) whom D) _

97. Tell me about the differences ______ this city and the one you come from.
A) of B) than
C) between D) from

YouTube Telegram Website Facebook

 sanctumenglish.in

98. There are many differences ______ the styles of these two writers.
A) between B) from
C) to D) for

99. It was nice ______ to remember my mother’s birthday.

A) don’t forget B) a present
C) for D) of you

100. The child grew ______ when his father entered the room.
A) silent B) silently
C) happily D) up

Common Error –

1. A growing sense of urgency in dealing with this (A)/ global threat made the United
Nations (UN) scheduled (B)/ its first-ever high-level meeting on TB in New York on 26
September.(C)/ No Error (d)

2. In the age of globalization, the containment of (a)/ an infectious disease like TB within
borders pose a considerable challenge, which (b)/ is why eliminating the disease is a
pressing global priority. (c)/ No Error (d)

3. As a judge in the high court and Supreme Court, (a)/ he was adjudicated hundreds of
cases, (b)/ without being in any controversy, ever. (c)/ No Error (d)

4. It has not been an easy task by the Reserve Bank (a)/ of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) to decide (b)/ on what should be the optimum repo rate trajectory at
this point of time. (c)/ No Error (d)

5. While the weakness in the rupee is a cause of concern, (a)/ one has to consider that
the sharp depreciation was primarily due to the global contagion (b)/ effects which
impact all emerging economies, not just India alone. (c)/ No Error (d)

Phrase Replacement –

1. The liquidity conditions have been tight in a while, part of which has been the reason
for the stock markets turning volatile.
a) For a while
b) To a while
c) All alike
d) While
e) No Improvement

2. As regards the housing and real estate sector, movement of interest rates has a
minimal impact on housing finance companies as the demand in housing in India is
immense and insatiable.
a) as the demand with housing in
b) as the demand for housing in
c) due to the demand for housing in
d) because the demand for housing for
e) No Improvement

YouTube Telegram Website Facebook

 sanctumenglish.in

3. Although medical science has been able to reduce mortality from cancers significantly,
the beneficiaries have largely hailed the rich countries.
a) largely hailed from
b) largely hailed with
c) largely hailed along
d) largely held from
e) No Improvement

Upper level vocabulary Questions –

1. What measures have been ________ to control the crowd at Saturday’s football match?
A) imagined B) made C) given
D) described E) taken

2. He left in such a hurry that I ________ had time to thank him.

A) almost B) even C) nearly
D) scarcely E) least

3. He gave me some very ________ advice on buying a house.

A) precious B) wealthy C) dear
D) prized E) valuable

4. To get my travelers’ cheques I had to ________ a special cheque to the Bank for the total
amount.
A) make for B) make off C) make out
D) makeover E) make up

5. If we can ________ our present difficulties, then everything should be all right.
A) get off B) come across C) come over
D) get over E) get away

6. I’m ________ to get the tickets for the show today, as there are hardly any left.
A) worried B) curious C) anxious
D) afraid E) troubled

7. His landlady gave him a week’s ________ to leave the flat.

A) threat B) notice C) advice
D) caution E) dismissal

8. We forgave his bad temper because we knew that his son’s illness had put him under
great ________.
A) emotion B) excitement C) crisis
D) stress E) nervousness

9. A completely new situation is likely to ______ when the school leaving age is raised to
16.
A) affect B) rise C) arise
D) raise E) happen

YouTube Telegram Website Facebook

 sanctumenglish.in

10. A competitor may submit any number of entries ________ each one is accompanied by
a registration fee.
A) guaranteeing B) insuring C) allowing
D) providing E) notwithstanding

Part 40 – The Hindu Editorial Words Series

1. Inscribe – to write/mark onto sth अं कत करना
2. To make sb/sth fall in line – to agree to sth सहमत होना
3. To face the heat – to accept and deal with criticism or punishment कये का प रणाम भग
ु तना
4. Unnerving – to make sb feel nervous or frightened or lose confidence दहला दे ने वाला
5. Cue – hint संकेत
6. Cartel – a group of separate companies that agree to increase profits by fixing prices
and not competing with each other
7. Profound – very great अथाह
8. Quasi - partly अध
9. Notoriety – fame for being bad in some way बदनामी
10. Slaughtered – to kill a large number of people नरसंहार
11. Scrawled – to write sth in a careless untidy way भ दा लखना
12. Paranoid – afraid or suspicious of other people पागलपन स ब धी
13. Delusion – a false belief or opinion ाँ त
14. Gruesome – very unpleasant वीभ स
15. Spree – a period of activity ग त व ध

Answers:-

Cloze Test - BAABC

Parajumble - DCEBA

Grammar Exercise - 91-B 92-D 93-D 94-B 95-B 96-A 97-C 98-A 99-D 100-A

Common Error
1. B – Schedule – in place of – scheduled
2. B – poses – in place of – poses
3. B – remove – was
4. A – for – in place of – by
5. C – impacted –in place of – impact

Sentence Improvement – 1. A 2. B 3. C

Vocabulary Questions – 1-E 2-D 3-E 4-C 5-D 6-C 7-B 8-D 9-C 10-D

The key to linguistic harmony in diversity

YouTube Telegram Website Facebook

 sanctumenglish.in

By Vithal C Nadkarni

A single sentence in the central government’s draft New Education Policy set off a storm of
protest in Tamil Nadu recently. Politicos alleged it was an attempt to impose the study of
Hindi on the state which zealously guards its two-language formula. Normalcy returned
only after the sentence was dropped. Sadly, the work done by legendary sages and leaders
to harmonise languages and to join people instead of dividing them into linguistic ghettos
was all but forgotten in the melee.
Back in 1918, with characteristic foresight, Gandhiji, for instance, established the
Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in Chennai. Languages had been crossing the
Vindhyas over millennia. Migration and spread of new cultures enriched south Indian
tongues immeasurably. Sage Agasthya is a stellar exemplar of such exchanges.
The Thirumanthiram describes Agasthya as a Vedic sage who came from the north and
settled in the Pothigai mountains because Shiva asked him to do so. He is the rishi who
perfected and loved both Sanskrit and Tamil languages, amassing knowledge in both, thus
becoming a symbol of integration, harmony and learning rather than being opposed to
either.
The Skanda Purana has a more humorous take. The whole world visits the Himalayas
when Shiva is about to wed Parvati. This causes the Earth to tilt to one side. To restore the
balance, Shiva requests Agasthya to go southwards: The short and heavily-built sage was
uniquely capable of balancing the might of Shiva, combined with the weight of Kailasha
and Mount Meru!

Elsewhere, Agasthya drinks up the oceans of the world to expose the demons hiding
underwater. During his peregrinations, he also stops the Vindhya mountain from growing
merely by pressing it down with his toe. Apart from being a huge compliment to his
gravitas, the story is also an allegory to linguistic prowess: No barrier is too high or too
deep for she who is symbolised as the Goddess Vac.
Feminine power also plays a pivotal role in Agasthya’s life. Lopamudra, his wife, is a
beauty sans pareil. Her name signifies the loss (lopa) that animals and plants endured by
giving their stunning features (mudra) when Agasthya created her somewhat like
Pygmalion in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. But unlike the Cypriot sculptor’s ivory mannequin,
Lopamudra is animated with a divine spark. This makes her a rishika in her own right
with several verses to her credit in the Rig Veda.
Left to his own devices, Agasthya might have lived on without matrimony or progeny. But
he gets a dream in which his ancestors hang by their feet into an infernal abyss and
beseech him to fulfil his filial and social obligations. He marries but does not cohabit with
his enchanting spouse. At long last, she brings him to his senses with a celebrated sermon
that is now used in nuptials today.
Nor is she willing to put up with self-created poverty. Forced out of his austerity, the poetic
harmoniser of languages is impelled to become a zillionaire by winning the demonic Ilvala’s
treasures with his prodigious powers of ingestion and digestion.
Ultimately, the Agasthya-Lopamudra parable is a paean to dharma, the higher life that
flows from kama, balancing love with work or artha, the search for meaning. In the
Mahabharata, Dharma/Yaksha asks, “How can the three perpetual opposites be made to
unite in one place?” Yudhishtira’s answer is reminiscent of our three-language formula:
“When Dharma and a wife submit to each other, then all the three unite!”

YouTube Telegram Website Facebook

 sanctumenglish.in

YouTube Telegram Website Facebook